Charred Tomato Basil Chicken Florentine Pasta with Herb Butter Breadcrumbs.
Oh um, hey! How about some comfort carbs for your Monday?!?
Yes, please!
How was everyone’s weekend?!? Hope you guys are enjoying summer as much as I am. I will not lie, the last few weeks have been crazy, but I’m really enjoying these warmer long days… and sad to see summer flying by. Asher was over hanging out all day on Saturday, and man, that girl knows how to talk. We actually talked about our upcoming trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We finally have the dates set!
YESS. I have been pushing this trip off all summer, but we are going to go right before school starts. We are both so excited. We have not booked tickets just yet, but only because we cannot decide on whether we should head to the new Wizarding World in LA or go to the one in Orlando.
SOOO, you guys have to help me!! Has anyone ever been to either? Or even better, have you been to both? If so, you have to tell me all the ins and outs because we are 2 way too excited girls, and planning mode has begun!
First things, first though, LA or Orlando? I kind of want to say LA just cause my brother is there and we would get to see him as well, but then I know the Orlando Park has a bit more to offer, and well, I do LOVE Florida, and I haven’t been there in far too long. Or well, actually I was there a year ago last Easter, but that’s still way too long!
Anyway, what do you think? Let me know!!!
Alright now, can we please talk PASTA!
Um, OK. I am kind of excited about this tomato basil chicken florentine pasta. It’s my kind of summertime comfort food… and yes, there is cheese!!
Where to start? Well, maybe the tomatoes? Pan roasted to perfection with lots of garlic….then tossed in wine!! Ahh huh! Then there’s the pasta, bucatini is one of my favorites, but you can really use any cut you love. I just think bucatini is pretty and I like its thickness! 🙂
Okok, but while I love all the pasta, the tomatoes, and the basil, what makes this pasta really special are those breadcrumbs!! Oh my gosh…more carbs, and I love it. They’re buttery and delicious and full of saltiness, fresh herbs and pistachios. Honestly, put these breadcrumbs on top of any savory food and I will be a very happy girl!
You see? Best pasta ever, right?
Perfect for a quick and easy Monday night dinner? FOR SURE!
Oh, and there is chicken in this dish, but it can easily be omitted to make this a meatless Monday meal, so whatever you prefer!! Just one important thing to note, use really good cherry tomatoes, tons of fresh basil, and don’t skimp on the cheese. I mean, duh.
Wait, I also feel like I should mention that this is kind of a great meal to serve to guests as well. I mean, not only is it beautiful, but come on, it’s creamy, delish, and basically a bowl of heaven. Oh, and one of the best ways to impress guests without breaking too much of a sweat. Or well, you might sweat if your kitchen is as hot as mine. The logs that this barn is made with just seem to hold in the heat. Can’t say I hate it though, I’ll take all the warmth I can get while I can get it!
For real though, pasta + cheese + basil + tomatoes + wine + bread crumbs?!?! SO GOOD.
Alight, so pasta tonight to kick off what is sure to be yet another fun-filled, busy summer week!
What do you guys have planned??
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Charred Tomato Basil Chicken Florentine Pasta with Herb Butter Breadcrumbs.
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: basil, chicken, pasta, tomato
Delicious comfort food
Ingredients
- 1 pound bucatini pasta or other long cut pasta
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound chicken breasts, diced (about 2 breast )
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic grated or minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1- 1 1/2 cups full-fat milk
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 6 ounces fresh spinach roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh basil torn or chopped + more for serving
- kosher salt + pepper
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- zest of 1 lemon
- 8 ounces buffalo mozzarella or mozzarella torn
Herb Butter Breadcrumbs
- 3-4 slices prosciutto
- 4 slices thick cut bread torn
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup pistachios finely chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh chopped herbs (parsley oregano, basil, dill)
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until al dente. Just before draining, remove 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta.
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Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter. Add the chicken and season with salt + pepper. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 5-8 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
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To the same skillet, add the remaining olive oil and butter. Add the cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook the tomatoes without stirring for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes toss the tomatoes and cook another minute more or until the tomatoes are blistered. Add 2 cloves garlic and cook another 30 seconds being careful not to burn the garlic. Remove the tomatoes from the skillet to a plate.
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Set the skillet back over medium heat and add the remaining 2 cloves garlic, cook 30 seconds, then deglaze the pan with wine. Allow the wine to cook until it has reduced by half. Stir in the milk and parmesan, season with salt and pepper.
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Once the pasta is cooked, added it to the sauce along with the spinach. Cooking until the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir back in the chicken and tomatoes. Cook until warmed through, about 3 minutes. If needed, thin the sauce with the reserved pasta cooking water. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil, lemon zest and mozzarella.
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Divide the pasta among bowls or plates and top each plate with bread crumbs, crushed red pepper and fresh basil. EAT!
Herb Butter Breadcrumbs
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Place the prosciutto slices on the baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crisp. Remove and allow to cool. Once cool, finely chop the prosciutto. To the baking sheet, add the bread, butter and pistachios, tossing well to evenly coat. Place back in the oven and toast the mixture for about 5 minutes or until the bread crumbs are golden. If the bread crumbs seem as though they need more butter, add another 2 tablespoons. Remove from the oven and stir in the prosciutto crumbs. Season lightly with salt, and stir in the herbs.
All I can see in my future is pasta, pasta, pasta. No complaining here!
Yes, this dish is absolutely the best kind of summer comfort food Tieghan! I can never get enough tomatoes during the summer. The herb butter breadcrumbs sound delicious too! Enjoy your week!
Ah, thank you! I totally agree about the tomatoes! Have a good week too Mary Ann!!
Those tomatoes look soooooo delicious!!
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Thanks Miranda!!
I’m definitely down with some serious comfort food like this! Oh, and I say Orlando would be awesome, but that’s because I grew up going to WDW so I’m partial to FL and you may have a better time in LA’s weather. You must share some pics when you go!!!
I think it’s going to be Orlando! I will totally share photos!
Thanks Tori!
This is BEAUTIFUL! My mouth is watering and it’s 7am haha. So perfectly summery ??
Thank you Chelsea!! Hope you love it(:
I absolutely love that pot you used! the pasta looks beautiful in it!!!
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AH!! Thank you!! I love it as well!!
Do you think this would work well with spiralized zucchini noodles instead of pasta? Not that I don’t love a good carb loaded Monday!!
Hey Tamara, yes I think this will be great with zucchini noodles. Just be sure to serve it right away because the zucchini noodles will draw a lot of water. I would add them when I say to add the cooked pasta and then just warm them through so the zucchini gets a little cooked and is warm then serve right away. Let me know if you’ve any questions hope you love this, thanks!!
I am all about the pasta lately too which is funny cause I normally try and stay away from the pasta when I can. This summer has me craving it like no other though. I haven’t been to either Harry Potter world, so I don’t know which would be better, but I feel like Orlando would be the way to go to get the best experience. Buuuuut depending on how long your trip will be anyway, LA might still be good because if you can’t stay that long anyway, you might end up not even being able to see everything at the Orlando spot, ya know? (I hope you know what I mean – I haven’t had any coffee yet!)
I just get hooked on it sometimes! I think Orlando is the way to go as well! Haha!! Hope you got your coffee!!! So important!! Thanks for the input Amanda(:
i vote for la! that park isn’t as big, but the weather is so much nicer and there is so much more to explore outside of the park (la food > orlando food, pretty beaches, etc).
Thats true!! We won’t have too much time for other exploring so i’m leaning towards Orlando, just so we can see it all! But A LA trip is needed as well!!
This is certainly my kind of recipe but I’ve been so hot today I’m eating popcorn and yogurt for dinner.
Haha!! That actually sounds kinda nice!
If you’re mainly going for the park I definitely say Orlando! It’s a bigger park so I think Asher would have more fun exploring. It’s amazing and riding the Hogwarts Express between King’s Crossing and Hogsmeade is one of the best parts!
I think so too!! Leaning more towards Orlando!! It all sounds amazing!!
This is my kind of comfort food. Looks amazing! I’m obsessed with burst cherry tomatoes lately. Definitely going to try it! I vote LA. I just moved here a month ago and it’s awesome!
Ah, same!! They’re delicious! I’m so jealous of your move!! Hope you love it!!
it must be tomato Monday’s, because I posted a heirloom tomato pasta recipe this morning too – great minds! 😉 looks delicious as always xo
Haha! YES!! What A great way to do Mondays!!
Thanks Christine!! I’m going to take A look at yours now!!
Before I even finished reading this post I just had to chime in about the awesome theme park!!! Orlando for sure!!! You can ride the Hogworts Express between Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade!! what!!! I had dual park tickets which are a must!!! And really you will spend most of your day if not all of one day between Diagon Alley!! Which is to die for!!! And Hogsmeade!!! There is sooo much to see and do there. It’s beyond Tieghan! Also the rest of the park is pretty cool too! I’ve not been to California, and I’m sure it’s awesome…but also in Orlando not too far down the street is a few pretty great water parks. Disneys Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, both of which are honestly great!
YAY! Thats what i’m thinking!
Ah! Asher is so excited for Diagon Alley!! (So am I!)
This all sounds amazing!! I’m getting so excited!!
Thanks for the insight Cassandra!!
Comfort carbs have never looked better, this meal is such a beauty! How fun, you and Asher will have the best time together. Can’t wait to hear more about it! 🙂
☺️ Thanks so much Laura!! I’m pretty excited for it!! Also to write about it!!
Wow! This pasta dish looks gorgeous and I am sure tastes superb too. I haven’t been to both parks yet, but they sure are part of my bucket list. You don’t strike me as a Pothead. Are you?
Hey Loi! Thank you so much! I love Harry Potter! Hope you love this dish!
Hi! I love your recipes. I’ve never had a bad experience! I’ve never commented before but just have to now: PLEASE go to the HP World in Orlando! It is truly magical! Be sure to get a park to park pass so you can see Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Siriusly.. You just won’t regret it 🙂
Haha I really would love to and thanks for that helpful tip!! I will be sure to do that if I end up going! Thanks Elisa!! (:
I say go to Orlando! That is the one that I went to, and Diagon Alley was incredible. And it was so fun taking the Hogwarts train to and from Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. The rest of Universal is really fun in Orlando too, we had a lot of fun there (I want to go back already). 🙂
That is so awesome! Thanks so much Megan!! (:
I have a cherry tomato plant that is loaded and I had just told my daughter (who also loves to cook) that I needed to find a blistered tomato recipe. Low and behold Instagram (Food and Wine) soon showed me a picture of your recipe. I cannot wait to try it. Looks so delicious.
Thanks so much, Mark! I hope you and your daughter enjoy this!! (:
I made this last night and it was amazing!!!All of the flavors went together in such a wonderfully unexpected way for me. Also, my husband ate most of the croutons before the even made it to the plate 🙂 Thanks for an excellent addition to our dinner rotation!
That is so awesome to hear! I am so happy you enjoyed it, thanks Alexandria!
Just made this last week! I am in love! It is so good!
YAY, so happy you like it Liz! Thanks!
I just made this and it was so delicious! I can’t wait to have it again. Question, is the sauce supposed to be thick or get thick? Mine didn’t get that thick. I had to ask just because in the directions it says to add water if it gets too thick.
HI Alanna! the sauce is just supposed to coat the pasta, so not watery, but not thick like a paste. If you wanted a little looser sauce than I’d add water, but it sounds like your sauce was perfect! Let me know if you have questions. Thanks!
What would I do without your recipes? We loved this pasta dish tonight – and the fam gets leftovers for their lunches tomorrow.
Awh thanks so much!! So happy you liked it!
I’ve encountered an issue with this one – as soon as I add the milk it cuddles to cheese. I tried starting over and warming the milk first but as soon as I add it to the wine it curdled again. I’m at a loss as to how to create the sauce now that the pasta water has gone down the drain.
Hey Carrie, It’s so hard to say without knowing how you are making the recipe. What percent fat is your milk? Hope I can I help problem solve for you. Sorry for the trouble!
The recipe was tasty but came with some practical problems. I used a really large skillet, and the dish still didn’t fit all that well making it hard to stir. The parmesan and milk didn’t emulsify quite right into the wine pan sauce, so I ended up with parmesan coated spinach balls (not the end of the world because they’re pretty delicious). I also found that the timing listed was way off. It took me over an hour to make and I cook pretty frequently. If I were to make it again, I think I’d cut back on the volume of pasta, and I would cut back on the butter and olive oil.
Hey there,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, so sorry you had a few issues, let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan